Good day to you all!
Hope you all have a Blessed sunday!!
What can I use to reduce pain and inflammation without pain pills and Steroids? I stopped using the steroids for about a week now but am in so much pain and am drinking more pain pills than ever. I'm not eating much so my stomach is burning with all the pain pills? I can feel the inflammation in my insides it is literally paining like to saying my inside hurts.... What can I do?
Hicjimi
You need to eat something very gentle to give your tummy something else to work on. Also a stomach protector pill you should have been prescribed like omeprazole would help the stomach symptoms your getting. Presumably you were asking for that and not general inflammation , not clear on your post?. Well done with coming off the steroids , tough your suffering now. Hope I've helped. x
Hi Misty14, thank you for your reply. Can I get the omeprazole without a prescription? I do have inflammation in my insides... I can feel the pain everywhere. It is not just my stomach but it seems to hurt everywhere. Can it be from inflammation?
Hicmjim
Omeprazole can only be got on prescription as its strong but you could try gaviscon which you can buy OTC till you can go to GP. It might help. Sounds to me like your missing the steroids as your problems can definitely be due to inflammation!. Your stomach symptoms need checking by your GP !. Are you due a Rheumy visit?. X
I haven't been to my Rheumy for more than 8 months. I was supposed to see him once a month as there were more tests he wanted to be done but I just didn't wanted to go there anymore. It was so frustrated that I decided not to go there anymore. I tried to do it on my own and only drink the steroids when I really needed it. Now the pain is getting worse but I don't want to drink the steroids.... I really wish I didn't have to drink any medications.... Sick and tired of pills morning in and evening out!!
Did you taper the steroids or go cold turkey? I just wonder if you came off them too fast and your body is reacting?
You can buy omeprazole over the counter as of a few years ago. It is branded as nexium, costs a fortune and is only in 10mg dose capsules so ideally and financially it is best to get them on prescription.
Thank you for your reply. I stopped with the steroids. Maybe I shouldn't have stopped is straight away. I will try the omeprazole... Have a blessed afternoon!!
How long were you taking the steroids and how many did you take each day. It's not good to just stop the steroids when you have been on them for a while. You would need to taper gradually
Xx
Hi, I was taking steroids for more than 2 weeks ongoing. I took about 2 - 3 per day depending on the needs... I never knew that this steroids could be this dangerous!!
You can get Ranitidine over the counter - trade name Zantac. I think you would be better off seeing the rheumatolgist than taking all these pain medications all the time unsupervised. Steroids and strong pain medications can only mask the Lupus at best - they can't stop damage being done to your body though - and this could include your organs.
Thank you Twichytoes for your reply. It is getting worse and not even the pain pills or steroids seems to be working no more. I will make an appointment with the Rheumatologist asap. Think it is better that way!! Have a Blessed afternoon...
You poor thing. I read below ideas for your stomach. Can I suggest if your other pain is in your joints that you try a small amount of Turmeric? Go to the website Turmeric for Health. It really works as a natural anti- inflammatory- I have been practically pain free for months now as I take it with other herbs. Try also a topical gel called Deep Freeze - most big supermarkets sell it where they have Olbas Oil which also really helps if you rub it all over painful joints. I take Co Codamol especially at night, but sit for a good few minutes after the gel and painkillers are administered. I do hope this helps. Good luck
Hi Cas70, thanks for the advise. I have never heard that turmeric helps for inflammation but I will give it a try. I am willing to try anything at this stage as I can't take the pain anymore, it is getting the best of me. I am currently using Arnica gel which is also helping for the relief of joint and muscle pain. But the worst is the inflammation in the insides... I can literally feel the inflammation inside of me... Have a awesome evening!! xxx
Please don't think you can protect your insides from the effects of pain meds with only turmeric! This could make the problem worse!
There is strong a risk of a gastric ulcer forming or even bursting if you're experiencing that much burning pain in your tummy after coming off steroids and taking many pain meds.
Just go to doc or pharmacy for stomach procector immediately - better safe than sorry!
I will do thank you!! I will make an appointment for as soon as my doc is available.. xxx
Hi - just read the write ups about Turmeric and start with small amount. It does seem like you need to see a Doctor, as you may have a reaction to the different meds. I am sure the Lupus Admin will send you good advice Tues when they return to work, but see your Doc asap - all the best Cas
Tumeric is quite well known as a good source of natural anti-inflammatory but you shouldn't take too much of it. I add it a lot in my cooking of soups, curries, sauces, soups etc. It is very good for it's anti-inflammatory use and also is said to improve mood but shouldn't be taken too much and too quickly as like twitchytoes has said it could make your situation worse. Please make sure you are drinking lots of fresh water to flush through the steroids and pain meds you have been withdrawing from and to cleanse out the liver, and do what twitchytoes says seek medical advice as soon as possible for you need to take a stomach protector. The pain meds won't work very well without food so you need to try and eat some bland foods, milk will help line and cool the stomach, dry foods such as dry toast or crackers will soak up any remnants of pain killers and steroid. Pain killers in excess can damage your liver and stomach lining. Please take care and get some medical advice as soon as possible. I hope you are feeling much better very soon. Good luck x
Thank you for the advise. I am pretty new with this lupus thing and do not always know what to use and what not to and because I haven't seen my Rheumatologist for months now because it is just a hassle to sit and wait for hours to be helped and then I'm sending throughout the whole hospital for different tests... I feel worse after I went to the doctor so I tried to cope with this on my own and tried not to drink medicines except for pain medication. I only used the Plaquinil when I really needed it. So it started to become so bad for about 2 weeks ongoing and I had to use steroids and then I decided to stop cause it didn't really felt like it helped. And now I'm still in pain and my stomach is hurting... So any advise is welcome. My Rheumatologist is fully booked until end of September. I will rather make an appointment with my GP. I do hope he would be able to help me!! Hope you have a great day xxx
Thank you Cjmi have a great pain free day if you can. I too am new to Lupus, I had a lupus marker show up on a blood test taken 7 weeks ago but the result was lost in transit and only found 3 weeks ago so I am waiting to have my first Rheumatology appointment to have further tests and a proper diagnosis as I do have all the signs and have suffered more than 20 years but my old doctor refused to pay for the blood tests and wouldn't listen to me. I previously worked in a well known London hospital for more than 10 years and have qualifications which mean I am quite clued up on conditions and medications since I have nursed people with many of the conditions I have myself. Sometimes too much knowledge is a bad thing though LOL. I also have a qualification in nutrition so I know that a bad diet can cause a flare up, so watch your dairy, eggs & red and processed meat carefully. However, do not cut all these out just yet since you need vitamins and nutrients from many of them (I haven't although I do have a dairy intolerance & have done for years. Take the advice given by your doctors and rheumatology specialists on anything I have mentioned for they are the experts and will be more up to date than me. I wish you well & hope you get some good results soon. Drink lots of water and watch your vitamin D intake but don't overdo taking any supplements for vitamin D since that can cause problems too. Good luck & keep us posted xxx
I think it is important to know how long you were taking steroids for and at what dose. Because if you were taking them for longer than 11 days you MUST taper. It sounds like you would have been better to taper anyway but if you go cold turkey after a long course of steroids you can develop adrenal insufficiency, Cushing syndrome and become life threateningly ill. Sorry to be blunt but it is vital that you treat steroids with respect and take medical advice on how to stop them.
I am concerned that you are having a systemic inflammatory reaction to the steroids being stopped. Turmeric is a fantastic anti inflammatory but will only aggravate your gastrointestinal tract if it is already inflammed. And you must take it with black pepper for it to be absorbed appropriately. Hidden is correct, you need something to protect your GI tract but you need to be seen by a physician.
I think you really need medical advice pronto. You must never stop steroids unless you have been told to by a medical professional. Sorry to frighten you, I'm just being direct because it is so dangerous and you haven't shared what dose you were on and length on time you were taking them?
Hi, yes I have taken them for longer than 11 days and I used to drink about 2 per day and sometimes 3 depends on the pain. I am using the 20mg Prednisone. I always get confused about the plaquinil and the prednisone which one is the steroids? I use both together evertytime.
Prednisone is the steroid. I suggest you see a doctor as soon as possible. Upping/downing/stopping your steroids like that will damage your adrenal glands and can make younvery ill. It is vital to be educated as much as possible about the medication you are taking and steroids must be respected. They are not pai pills, but they do act to reduce inflammation which causes pain.
I really hope you do see a medic soon because I think you are seriously putting your health at risk.
Can u advice been taking 5 mg for 3 weeks can I now start half a tablet or just stop regard john
I would prefer not to rely on meds however if it improves your quality of life it is well worth it. Just my thoughts.
Hi Cjmi ,
I'm sorry to hear that you are currently in pain. Did you stop the steroids under your doctor's instruction? Some painkillers can hurt your stomach and so if you are taking them regularly (especially on an empty stomach) then you may need a medicine to line your stomach such as omeprazole or lansoprazole. I'd recommend that you go and see your doctor to discuss this.
We published an article about pain management in lupus which has lots of information and tips about techniques that may be helpful for you. You can read it at lupusuk.org.uk/pain-managem...
Hi Paul, thank you for you reply. I have not stopped using the steroids under my doctor's instruction and the pain killers is S5 so it is a bit strong on the stomach. I have an appointment to see my doctor on Friday morning so I will discuss it with him. Thank you for the article with tips I will read through it and make use of it. Have a great evening.
Just letting you know I took turmeric for a while and it reduced my arthritic pain by about 50%. I stopped because the effectiveness seemed to wear off after a time, but my rheumy said that after a break, you can resume turmeric again and it sometimes works again. Am thinking of restarting it this year.
Pain that is not inflammatory, how did you deal with it? What did your dr recommend? 
Gluten intolerance/allergies linked to SLE gut issues inflammation of gut and all over from it.
What pain killers do people use
Disappointing rheumy appt
